Saturday, February 19, 2011

Shocker: Pedophile Pediatrician Mel Levine Found Dead

The Boston Globe is reporting that formerly renowned pediatrician and best selling author Mel Levine was found dead in North Carolina yesterday. This comes two days after a press conference in Boston by lawyer Carmen Durso to announce a class action suit by more than 40 men who said they had been molested by Levine at Boston Children's Hospital from 1966- 1985. Please note that Dr. William Ayres also practiced at Children's Hospital from 1959-1963.

Dr. Melvin D. Levine, a former Children’s Hospital Boston doctor and best-selling author, was found dead yesterday, his attorney said, a day after he was sued over accusations that he sexually abused thousands of pediatric patients.

News of Levine’s death came a day after a class action lawsuit was filed in Suffolk Superior Court contending that the doctor sexually abused as many as 5,000 patients during his 19-year career at Children’s Hospital. The suit named the hospital and Levine and asserted that he committed medical malpractice and that the hospital was negligent in failing to properly supervise him.

The suit cited 40 former patients, all young boys at the time, who said that Levine performed unnecessary genital examinations.

Boston lawyer Carmen L. Durso said his suit sought to represent all children examined by Levine when he worked at Children’s Hospital, from 1966 through 1985.

“On a typical visit, he would tell the parents that they could not come into the examining room, because that would interfere with his ability to perform a proper examination,’’ Durso said at a press conference Thursday in his Boston office. “He would require the boys to strip naked, not just for when he did the exam, but for the whole time of the exam, regardless of the reason for the treatment.’’ Durso said Levine performed prolonged genital exams.

After learning about Levine’s death yesterday, Durso said his clients would evaluate whether to pursue their claims against his estate.

What a coward Levine was for refusing to face the reality of what he had done. Here's hoping all of his victims pursue their claims against Levine's vast estate.

Boston Children's Hospital - where Levine worked from 1966-1985 and is also being sued by Levine's victims- appears to have been quite the hotbed for pedophile doctors:

William Ayres worked at Boston Children's Hospital from 1959-1963.

Donald Lee Rife, whose license was revoked in three states for molesting adolescent boys, worked at Children's from 1964-1966.

More importantly, a number of Levine's victims break their anonymity and using their full names, talk about the abuse.

One man, who is now a fireman, recounts that as a ten year old, his parents allowed Levine to take him on a trip to Washington, DC. At their hotel , Levine made the boy get into bed with him and then fondled him repeatedly.

Here's an excerpt:

Among the alleged victims who joined Durso’s latest lawsuit, Neil Liston still harbors deep anger toward Levine. The 38-year-old personal trainer from Nahant said Levine fondled and performed oral sex on him during an appointment at Children’s in 1979 when he was 7.

“When I saw my mom after it happened, I was so freaked out that I wet my pants,’’ Liston said. “I remember looking at his head and not understanding what was happening. I remember holding my breath.’’

He said he told his family what happened, but his grandfather decided to keep quiet because he thought nobody would believe them and that it would cause Liston more problems if they made a big deal about it.

He blames the experience on a long list of personal problems and said he requires therapy and struggles with depression.

“When I learned that he died, the truth is that I felt robbed,’’ he said. “I just wanted to look at him and see what his reaction was when he had to look us in the eye . . . I didn’t want an apology; I would have liked to punch him right in the head. Maybe I wanted some sort of admission of guilt.’’

[Addendum, from Deep Sounding]:
In case you haven't heard yet, Levine's suicide note was released. In it he claims innocence, but then gives us a guilty clue at the end of his note. Read about it here:

15 comments:

I'm tentatively going to call this bittersweetly excellent news. I hope it was suicide, and that it was painful.

One more pedophile definitely off the street.

The death WOULD leave a sour taste in my mouth if it means that his victims are not successfully able to sue his estate. I hope that they are able to drain his estate into non-existence so that there is no legacy left for the monster other than the fact that he was a sick piece of shit.

It is also most unfortunate that they will not be able to look him in the eyes in court. I suspect that this will be the real downside in this case.

I hope that the victims can take solace in the fact that the coward has proven himself publicly. He has shown the world that he is EXACTLY what the victims have known all along... nothing but a crappy coward.

If ayres would do us this favor, I think I'd be pretty happy at this point, but I'd want to see pictures of the carcass, and I'd want some sympathetic cop to tell me that they think he suffered greatly in his cowardly act.

My goodness...you seem so very sure that you know exactly what is going on here. Very open minded of you. If you are right, then I agree...one more pedophile off the street. But what if you are wrong? What if this was actually a man who very likely had Asperger's Syndrome and so was not very savvy when it comes to communication, who practiced during a time when it was common for all patients to wear only a gown during doctor visits, and who was always very thorough when examining patients. What if this was a man who dedicated his life to helping children understand themselves better and, only after publishing some books and appearing on Oprah became the target of one lawyer who is known for manipulating people into thinking something happened to them long, long ago that may or may not have been inappropriate? Just playing devil's advocate....what if you are wrong? Can you imagine what it's like to live through that, to watch the center you built to help children crumble under such accusations which never saw light in a criminal or civil court, to experience your life's work being overshadowed by something that is perhaps misunderstood memory or perhaps simply false? Then you are cleared, suits dropped, no settlements demanded...and then it starts again? None of us know which is the actual truth here, but both possibilities are absolutely tragic.

@Anonymous: Interesting that an "anonymous" commenter speaks of cowardice. Let us all rest assured that the internet lynch mobs who call themselves "advocates" must certainly be living a meaningless existence if this is their chosen mode of expression. Please do us all a favor and read up on the medical procedures associated with Levine's patients' conditions (as well as the conditions themselves of these already troubled children) and report back once you've educated yourselves.

If Levine was so innocent, then why did the New York Times report that the North Carolina Medical Board had damning evidence on Levine, and that's why he was forced to surrender his precious medical license, and had to agree to never practice medicine anywhere in the world again?

Levine was a big boy. He was smart; became powerful and successful and published best-selling books and had the means to fight the allegations.

I am sure if he really thought he was innocent he would have known how to defend himself against the big bad mean lawyer and all of the men who came forward. He would have fought to keep his medical license. But instead he gave it up without a wimper.

You make it sound as if Levine were the poor defenseless victim and killed himself because he couldn't handle the attacks from those mean little victims. You think it's easy for them to come forward? Do you know what hell victims have to go through in depositions for molestation civil suits?

I've seen another comment on the Boston Herald that's very, very similar to yours here.

Maybe you should toddle on over to "Dr. J's Housecalls" blog to defend Levine. But oops- Dr. J. is too chicken to permit comments on her pro Levine post , where as usual, she attacks Levine's victims for being anonymous.

The Charlotte Observer is just reporting that Levine left a suicide note.

"Sheriff: Pediatrician Accused of Sexual Abuse Left Suicide Note"

Excerpt:

CHAPEL HILL Mel Levine, 71, a nationally renowned pediatrician accused of sexual misconduct with boy patients beginning in the 1960s, left a suicide note before he was found dead last week.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office responded to Levine’s home in Rougemont after a call from his wife just after midnight Friday. The sheriff’s report does not list a cause of death or tell where Levine’s body was found but says his wife had last seen him Feb. 12.

Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/201...#ixzz1EjrUSllK

That means that Levine disappeared five days before the press conference about the victims' suits.From all accounts, it sounds like Carmen Durso, the lawyer for the victims, is going to pursue the lawsuit. As he well should.

The Boston Globe is reporting today that Levine shot himself in the head with a shotgun.

Also, many of his victims have broken their anonymity for the story, "Pediatrician's Suicide Soothes No Wounds." The details are horrifying. One firefighter recounts that when he was ten, his parents let him go on a trip with Levine - who took him to bed.

I will rely on Deep Sounding to post the link, as I can't seem to do it here.

Here's an excerpt from the Globe story on Levine, "Pediatrician's Suicide Soothes No Wounds":

Among the alleged victims who joined Durso’s latest lawsuit, Neil Liston still harbors deep anger toward Levine. The 38-year-old personal trainer from Nahant said Levine fondled and performed oral sex on him during an appointment at Children’s in 1979 when he was 7.

ayres Competency Videos

ayres Surveillance Video: This is video taken by professional private investigators, hired by families to tail ayres. ayres' defense attorney claims that he is not competent to understand and assist in his own defense against charges that he molested many young boys. ayres is seen in this video dominating conversation with wife Solveig and San Francisco shrinks Larry Lurie and Robert Kimmich about past, present, and future events.

william ayres' Office (Outside)

WARNING: This video shows the old office of william hamilton ayres in San Mateo. Do not watch it if you can not handle it.
From the sidewalk in front of ayres' office, up the stairs in the FRONT of the building and coming around the corner to look at #5. The video halts with #5 in full view, and holds for about 10 seconds and then ends.